PATNA: The railways and state police appear quite concerned about a Central intelligence report that a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit might try to blow up passenger trains visiting holy places between June 20 and 23.
According to sources, the railways has provided bulletproof jackets, helmet and modern weapons, including SLRs, to RPF and RPSF personnel escorting trains during night.
The railways has also kept striking force reserved at all important stations under Danapur, Dhanbad and Mughalsarai divisions of ECR to deal with any emergency situation, sources said, adding RPSF personnel have been deployed on all important trains going to holy places.
Hand metal detectors have been given to each RPF team at Patna Junction to check any untoward incident on railway premises, sources said, adding round-the-clock track patrolling is being carried out at vulnerable places under the division to keep a close watch on the activities of Maoists and terrorist outfits.
According to East Central Ralway (ECR) CPRO Dilip Kumar, the railways has put all major stations on high alert. All long-distance mail and express trains passing from Bihar and Jharkhand have been put under surveillance. Sniffers have been pressed into service at Patna Junction and other vulnerable stations of ECR from security point of view, he said, adding the railways would maintain strict surveillance in all night trains either passing or originating from important stations of ECR in view of terrorist and Maoists threat perception.
Keeping in view the threat perceptions, the railways and state police held a high-level meeting in Patna on Monday to chalk out a strategy to foil the designs of terrorist outfit and Naxalites.
Additional deployment of armed forces has been made at all vulnerable places in Bihar and adjoining places to prevent any attack on railway property and its vital installations.
Talking to TOI, IG (railways) S K Bhardwaj said that the GRP, RPF and local police in each district have been put on high alert following Maoists’ bandh call in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal on Monday and Tuesday as well as threat perception from a terrorist outfit. Several districts of Bihar and Jharkhand are considered stronghold of Maoists.
As such, the railways and state police would give no leeway to these ultras to make the railways a soft target, he said, adding heavy deployment of armed forces has been made at all vulnerable places falling under Bihar and Jharkhand.
According to Bhardwaj, the Patna-Gaya Grand Chord section on Dhanbad-Mughalsarai route, Kiul-Jhajha, Muzaffarpur-Hajipur and Muzaffarpur-Bettiah sections under ECR have been identified as the most vulnerable ones in these two states.
A comprehensive strategy has been worked out to check recurrence of such incidents. Both the RPF and GRP personnel have been assigned their duty at their respective places and asked to remain on high alert during night. Light engines have been kept in readiness for carrying out track patrolling at most vulnerable places, he said.
Maoists have given call for bandh in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in protest against arrest of a senior cadre and member, Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee, Shambhu, by the STF in Patna recently.